By Teddy Simpson ’13, Staff Writer, and Claudia Hyman ’16, Staff Writer

At Newark Academy, the word spirit applies to obvious aspects of the community. Students showed great spirit at the basketball game against rival Montclair Kimberly last winter, helping to bring home the victory. During Spirit Week, the entire school created a frenzy of thunderous cheers in the auditorium and senior Alex Mederos led the school in the infamous ‘WA Cheer’ at the Pep Rally. It is easy to hear the word spirit and immediately point out the sporting events or to Spirit Week, the places where spirit manifests itself in bright colors, in loud noises, in action. Many schools have such ordinary spirit.

However, Newark Academy is not ordinary. Our spirit pervades the school in an unparalleled way. The spirit crosses the threshold of most classroom doors. The energy of our community does not die when the bell rings. If anything, it compounds. This academic spirit can only be traced to the interactions among students and with teachers. Whether students realize it or not, there is definitely something special about the way students and teachers can inspire, motivate, and create when around one another.

“When I first came to Newark Academy, I was impressed…the students here are above and beyond respectful to faculty,” says Mr. Gilbreath, a former Humanities teacher and current Athletics Director and Theory of Knowledge teacher. The atypical relationship between students and teachers allows the content and progression in the classroom to develop at a high level. “I appreciate not having to pull teeth. It’s great to know that if you are at point A in class, [the students] will bring it to point B overnight. Every day you know someone will be excited and curious.”  The passion and enthusiasm, the engagement, the “courage kids have to make mistakes” are all components of how classes have an unmatched vitality.

“Spirit in the classroom is collaboration,” says Mr. Scerra, an English teacher of eighth and twelfth graders. Although respect is still appreciated, there are walls that can be pushed down in classroom discussions at the Academy. These conversations involve everybody in the room, including the teacher. Sam Rollenhagen ’16 notices that “kids are comfortable with the teachers so they can have fun.” Students and teachers work together in learning, as opposed to being taught at in a traditional sense. “Everyone has their own opinion and really wants to put it out there,” says Nelle Lightbourn ’16. This motivation and presence of each member of a class is typical of Newark Academy. The spirit of the classroom is truly self-driven.

Some courses, typically art classes, have a group of students of different ages and skill levels. Everyone shares one identifiable interest, and from there they build a workable team. “What’s really cool about the spirit of IB Acting is that it’s such a cross section of people…our class is much more balanced and authentic and direct than other schools’ acting classes probably are, which makes for really interesting theater,” says senior Clara Mooney.

At Newark Academy, we can trust that every day the students and teachers enter the classroom not only prepared, but also ready to delve deeper into a topic.  Whether manifested in a steady, articulate discussion about last night’s poem, a heated debate about taxes, or the dissection of a frog, the members of our community show a distinct spirit that can be overlooked: a spirit to learn in novel, challenging, exciting ways.